CAMPAIGNING IN EAST AFRICA.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 217, 13 October 1916, Page 4 (Supplement)

CAMPAIGNING IN EAST AFRICA.

WILDERNESS AND WILD ANIMALS. PURSUIT OF THE HUN. Life in British. East Africa in tho South African Field Forces, is graphically depicted in tho following letter written by a Wanganui soldier to iua mother. Tho Regiment sailed from Durban by the H.M.T. Professor Woermau at 5 p.m. on the 1st —a good day './ start on—and was given a hearty send off by a large crowd of Durbanitcs The sea voyage was uneventful, but very pleasant in spite of the intensely hot weather. In every way the troops were well catered for. Ships' sports and boxing contests were organised for their benefit, and for which prizes were given. Tho sports passed off successfully and were much appreciated by the men. A TROPICAL ISLAND.

We arrived at Mombasa at daybreak on Sunday the ( Jth, and anchore.l at the port ot Gilindini. Mombasa if a very beautiful island which is separated "from the mainland by narrow channels, deep enough to allow of th> passage of large steamers. It was a unique experience standing on the deck of a bg vessel while she wn steaming up the narrow waterways within, hailing distance of the shores, which are thickly covered with cocoanut trees, date palms, and other tropical plants. With a party of officers I visited some of the places of interest, in Mombasa, which is a very quaint town, chiefly inhabited by Arabs, Indians, and Swahilis. The island has been a stronghold of Arab slave traders for centuries, ynu there arc niaciv interesting sights to lw seen. One of tho principal attractions is the bazaar, which is really a location cf queer!? built ancient bouses with dark, narrow streets about 0 to 8 feet wide, where the Arab and Indian traders carry on their business. The place is a hive of industry, and almost anything can r»o purchased there at reasonable price:* — but only alter a great deal of bargaining. Everybody and everything has an Oriental appearance. The heat there was simply terr'ne. the like .if which I have never experienced. It occurred to me that if people who wcro destined for the lower regions happened to die at Mombash the.> woufd hardly notice the change of temperature ! AX INTERESTING JOURNEY. On the evening of the eamc clay the regiment left by train for Nairobi. The journey through this wonderful-coun-try was an experience of a lifetime. The trains do not travel fast, as onlj wood fuel is used for the engines; n fact, some of tho men could keep pace 'with the train by running along the track, but the slow rate of progress was not by any means monotonous, M tho whole journey was so full of interest. It was indeed a magnificent sight to watch the game from tho train. I had heard that game w.h plentiful in East Africa, but what I saw ex?eeded by expectations. Tho country from Tsavo (which means palce of lions) is teeming with game < f all kinds. It was like passing through a great natural zoo. We saw herds nf zebra, haitobeeste, wildebeeste, eland, gazelle and impala, also wild ostriches. In several places the herds could bo seen standing watching the train at :• distance of not more than 100 yards. It was a rare sight to see the zebras running across the veld with the setting sun on their beautifully marked bodies. At one place we saw a herd nf about 20 giraff.es ambling along with the'r long necks towering above the bushes. Altogether it was a wonderful panorama—a glimpse of nature in aii her grandeur. To travel in a tram amid such surroundings conveyed a curious impression that it was too goo.l to bo true. I shall never forget tint remarkable railway journey which could not be equalled in any other part of the world. For the greater part ot tho journey we could see the famous Mount Kilamanjaro, which stands out like a giant sentinel. It is 10,700 feet in heiglit, and is permanently covered with snow. Near tho base of this mountain tho Germans have their camp.

OFF THE BEATEN TRACK. We arc- now settled down in a camp, the locality of which I am not permitted to mention, and everybody is contented and taken up with this attractive country. Here, a few weeks after leaving the beaten track of civilisitdn we find ourselves in a world of wild things. I have taken part in several shooting trips with other officers, as big game h very plentiful within a mile of the camp. The first time 1 went out I lia;l the good fortune to bring d'.wn a nn«> bull liartebccste with my first shot. Wj had some difficulty in getting the animal hack to camp as the horses objected to carrying a whole dead buck, so wj had to cut it up into sections, which wo strapped to our saddles. The authorities have issued orders that all game shot must be taken to camp and used for food. Indiscriminate shooting is not allowed, and rightly so, for there is neither sense nor sportsmanship n shooting an animal to leave it lying on the veld to be eaten by vermin. Needless to say, big bags of game have been secured, and there is a plentiful supply of biltong in camp, which is always carried by the Boers as an emergency ration. It is palatable and wholesome stuff.

PARADISE FUR GAME. Wo had some fino sport chas : ng i herd of wildeboeste on horseback, and had to go through sonic manoeuvres before wo could get within shooting distance of them. However, wo managed to bag one—a fine specimen. Our ramp is situated within half i mile of a river where the horses are watered. The men very soon discovereJ that the thickly wooded banks ivcre haunted by wild annuals. A kopari was shot ou'te close to the watering place. One of the men belonging •'o my regiment went unarmed to the river and was indulging in a swim when he noticed two lions watching him from the .'bank. He was so flabbergasted that he broke all records in sprinting to the camp and left his clothes on the r:vcr bank. He could not be persuaded to return for lis garments, and stalked about the camp clothed in his boots and a smile, much to the amusement of the other men. About twj days after our arrival in (-amp a lo.i got among the horses and (iOO of them stampeded. To make matters worse the horses introduced themselves to > herd of zebras, and the whole crow 1 slarted careering for miles r.ero-s the veld, lr took about a week to recover I he horses but unfortunately l!() wcr> lost. It is almost certain they wcr' killed by lions. A very strong guar.l is now nut round the horse iin.es evo.v night, as lions and leopards are e;>■».tintrilly prowling round theenmp. A" for the smaller fry such ns hyaenas and

jackals, there arc dozens of them qu'to close, to tho tents every night. We ar-j getting quite accustomed to their horible wails and howls. One of tho horses died as the result of being bitten by a snake. The animal died after sunset, and the body was left lying overnight about 20 yards from the horse lines. The next morning it was found that more than half the carcase had been devoured by hyenas. It is very d fhcult to shoot these skulking brutes, i.s they only come cut at night. A horrible custom exists among a tribe o f Natives willed the Kikuyui Whenever a member of that tribe dies. trio body i.s taken out on to tho velJ, where it is left as food for hyaenas. So tlireat or persuasion will induce one ot these* natives t>) touch a dead body. MEETING A LION. On Sunday afternoon we decided to go for a stroll aioug the river bank. Two rifles were taken in case of emergency. Witli difficulty we had to i'or-e our way through the thick bush and undergrowth, while the baboons and monkeys jeered at our efforts. Several big buck were started, and wo got quite close to a herd of ten zebnu. While walking leisurely along a game path leading to the river, qu'te unexpectedly a full grown lion jumped up within 10 yards of us. Like a flash tiio great brute bounded away amone; the trees. As the bush was so dense we decided that it v.ould be too dangerous to follow Turn up, especially ns wo had not come out for a lion hint. Evidently we had found our way riglt into his lordship's larder as all arouml wore to l>2 seen the bones of antclopos he had killed, and the trails on the ground where the bodies had been dragged. About half a mile further along I noticed a line mipala or rooibo;»walkmg down the steep river bank. The Sergt.-Major and I went atter ,t. whilst the others awaited our return Having lost sght of the buck wo rejoined them about half an hour later, when we were astonished to hear thai they had almost stumbled into anotherlion. Being armed only with revolver? they were not looking for trouble, so they stood and watched his majesv walk away into the bush. It was fortunate for them the brute did so. After that we soon made tracks for the camp and safety. We had seen quite enou:-C-'i for ono afternoon. Tho next day i> party went out in search of these uons but did not se them. These are some of my experiences within a fortnigh'of my arrival in Ea„t Africa, Not a bad record is it?

UNDEVELOPED COUNTRY. This is the country Jor real good sport and doubtless we shall have plenty of it lwiore the campaign >.« over The climate in the highlands is delightful although special precautions have to he taken aaginst sun-stroke Being so close to the equator, the sun's rays are very powerful. Every man has been supplied with a spne protector, and helmets must always be worn. The tropical rains are torrentia'. About a week ago or camp was flooled out and had to be re-pitched in i. new position. Altogether, th.e majority of South Africans are favourably impressed with this line country, which is only in >t? teens and is full of possibilities. I have not heard a single man say that he regretted coming to East Africa. On the contrary I have heard many remark that th.ey would like to settle here after the war is over. \ WHITES IN .MINORITY.

There is one unsatisfactory feature. The Indian population exceeds the En ropean and the Government of. the Protectorate is conducted on Indian lines. The coolie clement appears to predominate. Indians are employed as clerks in the Banks (except in the Standard, which is locally known as the white Wnk) and business houses; in fact, many of the large commerci.il concerns in the colony are owned by Ind'-ans. Europsan building trade mechanics would st.ind a poor chance of obtaining employment in Nairobi, as 111 the skilled work (such as it is) is done by coolies at low rates of wages. This js a state of affairs which does not appeal to South Africans who, ayou kno\v ; believe Th treating Ind'-ans and natives justly, but in keeping them in their place.

BOTHA'S MEN". Tho officers and men of ' the South African Forces are extremely keen to get to grip-; with th.» unscrupulous East African Huns and their black Askari comrades. Thoy will have the time of their lives when they meet Botha's men, who are determined to clear the Huns out of E.isi Africa as completely as they did it in South West—and thev are going to do it.